Summoned Across Worlds
by ShianeCollins
Summary: Crossover HP base X IY X YYH X LotR X GW 3 OCs. A summoning spell inadvertly activated brought ten heroes to help tip the scale in the war against Voldemort. Takes place after HBP. rated for later chapters.
1. Prologue

Notes and Disclaimers: We own nothing! Nothing is ours! Except for Calypso Garris and FAren Tashi! They are ours!...oh, I'm also co-authroing this...so yeah...

**Summoned Across Worlds**

**Prologue**

Midmorning found Neville Longbottom making his way across his family's land towards an ancient cavern that he had first found when he was much younger. He was going to it because he thought there might be something of use deep within the earthly rooms, something that he could get a hold of to help Harry in the future. He, Neville, had overheard a conversation his friend, Harry Potter had been having with two of their other friends—Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They had been discussing something important, that much Neville knew, and though he hadn't heard the entire conversation, but he _had_ heard that Harry was not going back to school at the start of the term; that the other two weren't either.

So he was looking for something of great use to his friends and he wanted to do it without anyone knowing what he intended; his family would want to know why and the answer would have to be a full explanation, something the seventeen year old was loathe to do. He may be a very submissive person, but he was a member of the DA from the previous two years, and even if he couldn't do much, he would at least _try_ to help his friends. And there was only three more weeks he would be able to; in three weeks was the start of the new term.

He was nearly to the entrance to the cavern when he stopped in his steps to cautiously look around, making sure that no one would see him when he finally entered the underground rooms. The coast was clear so he was able to disappear through a half-hidden entrance that led deep under ground, where daylight rarely reached.

"_Lumos_," Neville said, raising his wand towards the "ceiling" of the cavern. Light immediately illuminated the place, revealing a spacious room littered with fallen rocks, dirt, dust and various other things that could have fallen through at random times. His hazel eyes gazed around, taking in everything before his eyes lingered on a certain wall of the room, sensing something faint within the area, though they passed over it after a few moments to look about the rest of the room. But much to his chagrin his gaze kept being drawn to that one specific wall.

Finally shaking his head he moved onward, deeper into the cavern towards one of the back rooms that he remembered from his childhood. As he entered a familiar grotto his gaze swept the area, finding more loose rocks and fallen ceilings than last he saw. Frowning he decided to avoid this hazardous area, making his way towards one of the other grottos, similar to this one, hoping that it wasn't as dangerous.

He was on his way back, feeling hopeless, when he slipped on some loose rocks and fell in the usual clumsy Neville fashion. But as he went down he tried to catch himself on some of the jutting rocks, pulling one loose from the wall as he fell to the ground in a disgruntled heap. He lay still for a few seconds, taking in where he hurt, which was mainly his knees and arms from the cuts and abrasions he received from his fall.

But his body stilled at the sudden sound of falling rocks close to where he lay. It only took a few scant seconds to scramble back to his feet, despite the aches and pains, but he had a very bad feeling that something bad was about to happen. Jerking his gaze wildly around the room he had only seconds before the ceiling began to cave in nearly right on his head!

Lucky for him, he was already moving through the passageways as the rest of the entire cavern began to collapse in on itself. Entering the main room he tripped again on unseen rocks, this time falling flat on his face. Groaning loudly from pain as he managed to heave himself off the ground, he reached out to use the wall that he had fallen down in front of to steady himself as he wobbily rose to his feet once again. Hissing in pain, he realized that the hand he had used to brace himself against the wall was bleeding and when he touched the rocky earth, dirt got into the wounds making them sting. He snatched his hand away from the wall, though his gaze lingered on it. He felt something different about it; it didn't feel like an ordinary wall, it felt like it was something more.

But before his thoughts could dwell any further on the matter, the entire cavern began to rumble, dislodging more stones from the walls and ceiling. Scrambling the rest of the way upright, he clambered out of the underground cavern. The minute he hurried from the entrance and collapsed onto the ground, the sounds from behind him made him turn his head back from where he had just escaped.

With a very loud crash and rumble, the entire entrance caved in, completely blocking off any chance of ever entering it again. It was now just a large pile of rocks, but the cave-in caused dirt and dust to unsettle and it looked as if smoke was billowing from the ground. Neville gave one look at it and said, "Oh, bloody hell." Then shaking his head he added, "I've spent way too much time around Ron. I'm now picking up his bad habits in cursing." Though it was entirely amusing that he had cursed to begin with.

Minutes later as he tried to slowly rise to his feet with pain accompanying him the entire way, he was vaguely aware of people shouting and running in his direction. It wasn't until his uncle had him by the shoulders when he realized that the cave-in had alerted his family that something had happened.

"Neville! Are you alright!" his uncle exclaimed, as he tried his best to look over his nephew, while trying to not shake him by the shoulders.

Before an answer could be supplied, the seventeen-year-old cringed, his gaze elsewhere. That was when Neville's uncle followed his gaze and found that his mother (Neville's grandmother) was walking their way, a very firm look on her face. Neville cringed at the lecture he knew was coming his way, already mentally preparing for it; he _had_ just nearly escaped his own death, and causing an unstable cave on his family's property to cave in.

"Neville," his grandmother started, her voice telling him that she was in a no-nonsense mood, "Come with me. You have a lot of explaining to do." She said, stopping in front of him just long enough to tell him those words before sweeping back towards the house.

With a heavy sigh Neville nodded, and with his head lowered began to follow his formidable relative.

But little did the Longbottoms know, was that the wall that Neville had touched with his bloody hand began to glow and reveal what lay hidden. Ancient runes and writings, and many designs began to glow a very bright bluish-tinted light. With increasing intensity, it illuminated the cavern, showing that only a few new pieces of the ceiling and remaining walls had fallen along with the blocked entrance. A mist came into being, filling the cavern completely, glowing just as brightly as the light from the spell that had been activated on the wall. But the most astonishing thing that took place in that cavern was the ten people that materialized within the mist.


	2. 1 Of Strangers and not so Strangers

Notes and Disclaimers: The only things we own are Calypso Garris, Faren Tashi and Brie Longbottom…but we lay claims to nothing else! (despite that Shiane would love to lay claims to Legolas and Duo…grins evilly))

**Chapter 1**

She landed heavily, losing all balance and actually falling to the floor. "Godfuckingdammit!" the young woman cursed, her voice tinged with pain somewhere in all her annoyance and anger.

"Are you all right?" the young woman standing beside her asked in concern.

Before the fallen one could muster any answer, they stilled as they heard other mumblings and angry cursing. That was when they realized that they were not alone in the dark place they had been swept to. In that instant that was also when whoever else was there also realized they were not alone. Everyone was instantly quiet, but in that quietness different, slightly more subtle sounds could heard: guns being cocked, arrows being drawn tight within bows and the sliding of swords from sheaths.

_:Shields, Calypso. And make sure we'll be able to do them completely.:_ came a feminine voice across the mind of the woman on the floor.

Calypso, the one that had fallen, gave a nod, not at all startled that her partner had spoken with her mind to mind. It was after all one of her magical gifts, one that she shared, at least in part, with her from being a longtime friend and partner.

And with her gift of telepathy being so strong, she would be able to tell exactly what kind of people they would be dealing with.

It took but a moment to allow her personal awareness to flow within the vicinity, closing her eyes to concentrate better. It only took a few seconds for the conversation combined with Calypso's thoughtsensing abilities to be completed, but as the telepathic woman opened her eyes to the darkness once again she spoke.

"Faren, there's five in here that aren't mortal," Calypso said softly, but out loud for all to hear. She rose to her feet slowly, trying to be as careful as she could not to jar or unsettle any rocks around her. She was aware enough of her surroundings to know they were most likely in some kind of cave; she didn't want to be attacked in any way if she could help it. Once she was on her feet she turned to her friend, taking the offered hand that she felt hovering in the air.

The instant they felt their powers meet and merge they sent them outwards to fill the area, surrounding each individual in a visible ­­purple dome that hummed with their powers. Relaxing ever so slightly, Calypso released Faren's hand and waited patiently. Faren centered herself and powers once again, bringing them forth as she clapped her hands together loudly, but once. As she slowly opened them, she brought her hands outwards away from her body, light spilled out to illuminate the entire area.

As everyone within blinked to grow accustomed to the sudden light Faren and Calypso looked around, noticing that around five figures, their combined shields were dim; it was those five that Calypso had sensed different. But that was not all that had caught their complete and undivided attention. Oh no. It seemed that the eight people that had materialized along with them into this cavern were _very_ well known…well at least where they (Calypso and Faren) came from that was.

_:Oh my, my, my:_ Calypso's thoughts were quite predatory.

But Calypso's weren't the only ones. Faren just continued to blankly look around and had to mentally agree. _:You've got that right. Who would've thought all these people were real and not fictional:_ Faren's telepathic reply was filled with amusement.

Calypso shrugged, but her eyes were passing from one figure to the next, identifying them in her mind as she went: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yui from the manga and anime Gundam Wing, Hiei and Kurama from the manga and anime YuYu Hakusho were on one side of the room. On the other side were Kagome Hirugashi and Inuyasha from the manga and anime Inuyasha and Gandalf the White and Prince Legolas Greenleaf from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She let the thought that things were going to be very interesting in the next little while slip to Faren who readily agreed.

"What the hell is this!" a violet-eyed brunet exclaimed about the domes, his gun slightly wavering in his hands. It was tiring to hold a gun in both hands for so long, but he still did not lower it nor did he truly aim it anywhere.

Faren was about to give a sarcastic answer, but everyone's attention was drawn to a red-kimono wearing half demon bearing a great sword that resembled a fang. Silver hair cascaded down his back to match the silver dog ears atop his head as his golden eyes glared at the dome surrounding him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you mister," Calypso said casually. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched, but knew that nothing would happen to the shield.

The half demon growled, saying, "Tetsusaiga is strong enough to break through barriers! This one is puny compared to some of the others that I've had to cut through!" he boasted as he raised his sword even higher.

As this happened Faren noticed that Kurama and Hiei were still silent, though Hiei was scowling at the shield. Gandalf was examining it thoroughly while all the others just watched the half demon, waiting to see what he would do.

The sword swung out, coming in contact with the barrier. But instead of cleaving it, like its wielder had meant it to, it bounced back violently, causing the young man to unbalance and fall with a crash to the ground within the shield. The woman next to him lowered her bow sighing.

"Inuyasha, it's not a demonic aura, couldn't you tell the difference?" she asked in exasperation.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place wench!" Inuyasha demanded hotly as he picked himself off the ground.

"I told you so. Why do you not listen when you are warned?" Calypso said with a shake of her head.

Faren smirked and softly touched her friend's shoulder. "Now, now Calypso, be nice to the people. We are, after all, the ones that set the shields around them." She said evenly.

"What are you?" Inuyasha demanded, a growl deep in his throat.

Not even batting an eye Faren was the one who answered, "Mages. We are more powerful than wizards, witches, and anything else you could probably think of, seeing as Magus is always the highest rank in any fantasy hierarchy."

A couple of the others more or less looked puzzled, but Gandalf was watching the two women with even more caution than he had at first. He was powerful in his own right yes, but these two women were expressing their magical gifts so liberally and almost carelessly. If they were this powerful to throw their powers around, what else could they be hiding? He wondered. Once that thought crossed his mind he had to shake it away; he wouldn't believe they were an enemy. After all, they erected the barriers to protect everyone in the darkness. He may not recognize two of the weapons that were drawn, but he knew that things would have gone very bad if anyone had decided to attack. The women were just making sure no one got hurt.

Taking a long look around the room he found that the remaining people still wielded their weapons.

"Now everyone," he spoke up, nearly startling everyone at the suddenness of an old man's voice, "let us just all calm down and put aside our weapons." He continued in a calm, if a little weary tone of voice.

Calypso and Faren exchanged looks, but they both noticed the silent exchanged Legolas had with Gandalf. The elf had looked sharply at him, his draw on his bow never once wavering. But the old man merely raised his free hand and gave a very slight shake of the head. Only then did the elf lower his weapons, giving a brief bow of his own head.

Everyone else had reluctantly put their weapons away, even Inuyasha. Well, everyone but the young man with messy brown hair and cobalt blue eyes. He still held his gun in an one hand draw, slowly taking aim at a spot of the shield before him.

"Heero, I think you…" the braided brunet started.

"Quiet Maxwell," the one named Heero ordered.

Calypso walked carefully forward, dodging anything that could have tripped her. She stopped before the shield containing Heero and smirked in amusement, despite the exasperation trying to bubble up within her.

"If you fire your gun it will ricochet and I will be _most_ displeased if I have to waste valuable energy healing you because of your stupidity." She said sincerely. Her expression was clear and easy to read; everyone could see the firm stance in which she stood, the no-nonsense attitude in her body language and the annoyance and exasperation in her voice and expression.

Heero blinked at her, shock briefly running across his features. This was clearly the first time he had ever been spoken to in such a manner; the first time he had ever been accused of being stupid to his face.

The other one that also had a gun (which was now put up and out of sight) burst into laughter, holding his sides after a few moments as if what just occurred was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened. But he calmed down when Heero finally looked his way, sending a death glare.

Calypso was patient, that was her nature, but she was beginning to be more than just a little exasperated with Heero. Raising an eyebrow at him she pointedly asked, "So are you going to put up your weapon and soon be rid of the shield or…" she was never able to finish for Heero sent a glare her way as he clicked the safety on his gun and holstered it.

Calypso instantly smiled brightly at him, her manner now almost completely opposite of the attitude she had just taken with the man.

"That was a bit freaky, lady." Duo said truthfully, giving her an odd look.

She just gave a small giggle, ignoring the eye rolling she knew Faren was sending her way.

"So I have a very bouncy personality. For future note, _I'm_ usually the cheerful, giggly one." She said with a grin.

"Calypso Garris! Don't make me silence you for a few days like last time!" Faren threatened, though a hint of amusement was laced through her voice.

"HA! Just because you're more knowledgeable in certain areas, doesn't mean I won't eventually unravel the spell and counter it." Calypso retorted.

Much to the growing amusement for the others, Faren continued the friendly banter for a few more moments, "Oh? And just how long did it take you to be rid of the silencing spell?" she raised an eyebrow.

Calypso had the grace to blush, turning away from her friend. Sliding a faint mask of indifference over her features she started turning her attention to the shields. Touching the one she stood before everyone watched as the purple faded to a pale blood red—as if the blue had been extracted.

Duo whistled in awe, but his curiosity about the banter got the better of him, "So how many days _did_ it take you to "unravel" the spell?" he could wait for the shield to be gone, but the finale of the banter he could not.

Calypso was silent for a few moments, in that time she took her magic from one of the other shields. "I was without my voice for three days." She stated simply. She paused and then added, "Laugh at me any of you and I can keep the shield up and give you a taste of what I had gone through." Her meaning dark, but a threat she would not have any trouble dishing out.

Duo gulped down his laughter, though couldn't suppress the wild twinkling in his eyes. But Inuyasha did not heed the threat in Calypso's voice and burst into laughter.

The Mage spun on her heel, her now-smoldering gaze flying to rest on the half demon's form caught in his chuckles. She raised her hand, already glowing pale blue, intending to throw a spell or two at him, but the woman beside him spoke,

"Inuyasha," her voice held a certain tone that made the half demon instantly cringe, his guffaws fading into memory, "Sit boy!" the woman said.

A beaded necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed an instant before he crashed loudly into the ground face first.

Silence followed that, but soon Duo and Calypso were both laughing, though also trying to keep it controlled. Faren just gave a small sigh, but hid a smirk by turning to look at the shields. With a wave of the hand the red disappeared. It left only pale blue shields behind, as well as Heero and his partner now blinking at the sudden freedom.

Being tapped on the shoulder brought Calypso focusing on the here and now once again and looked to find the violet-eyed brunet grinning at her. She blinked in surprise, but upon hearing Faren's "we're waiting," remark, she set herself to make her way to the next two shields.

Just as she reached out to touch the shield containing an emerald-eyed redhead someone asked, "Why don't you do what your friend did? Why do you have a need to touch it?"

Calypso looked and discovered that it had actually been Gandalf who asked. She was a bit surprised and when she glanced over at Faren, she found that her partner too, was just as surprised. Her thoughts were racing, all trying to form a sufficient reply, but as she did so she touched the shield with her fingertips, faintly smiling as she could feel the energy flowing back into her body.

"Because Master Wizard, I enjoyed being able to move around; I'm not very fond of caves." She answered as she moved onto the next.

Silence followed her as she reabsorbed two more shields, only having three left before it was broken by an accusation.

"That wasn't a complete answer. There's more to it." The one that had spoken up was short (though probably just barely taller than Calypso, who was 5'2) wearing all black, had fiery red eyes and black spiky hair.

Calypso paused just before reaching Gandalf's shield, taking a moment to glance at the one that had spoke before saying, "You're right. But it is one of the main reasons. The others are that I don't like to waste magic if I can help it, and by touching them I reabsorbed almost all that I had expended to begin with. I also like walking around to get a feel of a new place, especially when brought against my will and…" her eyes twinkled in mischief, "Besides, I also wanted to get a better look at the stunning men…" she giggled, letting her gaze wander over to the elf, Duo and Heero, and even the red-eyed young man and his emerald-eyed partner.

Duo grinned, Heero glared, the elf looked neutral, though returned her gaze, and the other two just remained silent, though she knew Faren was hiding another smirk.

Without another word Calypso finished reabsorbing her magic, making it back to sit beside her partner, using a fallen boulder as a seat.

"So, seeing as we are most likely going to be here for awhile longer, might as well introduce ourselves." Faren suggested, "I'm Faren Tashi."

"Calypso Garris if you don't recall my partner saying that earlier," the woman grinned mischievously.

The one who had "sat" Inuyasha decided to speak up first, her clear voice firm, yet friendly, "I'm Kagome Higurashi and this is Inuyasha." She pointed at said person, who had moved much closer to her, almost protective like.

"Duo Maxwell is me!" the violet-eyed brunet said cheerfully, now sitting on the ground with his back braced against rubble.

"Heero Yui." Were the only words from his partner.

The redhead had a gentle voice and soft smile as he said, "I am Kurama and this is my partner Hiei." Hiei just stared, silent ever since the accusation he made of Calypso.

The old man leaned his white staff against one shoulder, sitting on a boulder before saying, "I am Gandalf the White."

"I am Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." The elf stated in a neutral tone of voice.

Kagome was thoughtful during the introductions, despite remembering each of the names, and once they were done she turned to the mages and asked, "How are we able to all speak in the same language?"

Faren and Calypso exchanged looks before noticing that Kagome's question made a lot of sense to the others. Even Inuyasha was paying attention.

"Well…" Calypso started, uncertain what to say.

"What Caly here is _trying_ to say is that the same instant I created the light, I also sent out a spell that would allow us all to be able to understand the same language when we speak." Faren explained.

There was a pause as everyone let that information settle.

"So every time we speak, everyone will be able to understand? No matter if someone switches their own language?" Duo asked, a mischievous glint could be seen in his eyes.

Caly noticed it, asking Faren mentally, _:Can I take this one:_

Faren bowed her head very slightly, giving permission. She watched in amusement as Caly straightened up to answer, "It wouldn't matter at all what language you use, the spell will still enable all of us to understand it. Even if one was to start using a form of elvish—it would still be automatically translated for us by way of the spell." She added, briefly meeting Legolas's questioning eyes.

Duo looked at her before looking at the elf, wondering what her intent was behind her words. But shrugging, a smile slid back onto his face. "Well, I guess I'll just leave that alone then." He said finally.

Calypso grinned at him, "Good, because repeating myself is tiring." Her words were truthful, despite the smile on her face.

"So next question," he started, almost looking a tiny bit embarrassed.

Caly raised an eyebrow at him, but waited for his inquire.

"Have anything to eat? I wasn't even able to eat the food I had just made when the room spun and I suddenly found myself in a cave." He said bowing his head slightly as he put a hand to his stomach, which had at that moment decided to make itself known.

A few of the others smirked, only Caly giggling. "Of course. I always…" she started to say, but stopped the instant Duo moved forward, spotting her backpack.

Just before he came within touching distance of her bag Calypso rose gracefully to her feet, panic and fear running through her features. Anger began to filter through as she pointed at him yelling,

"Touch that bag Pilot 02 of the Gundam Deathscythe and you will live to regret it!"

Heero drew his gun again, aiming at the girl as Duo nearly stumbled to a halt a bare foot from the bag.

Everyone now stared at Caly, most with utter astonishment on their faces.

_:Uh oh, I blew it.:_ was Caly's first telepathic words to Faren.

_:That's an understatement. But what else do you have in there to cause the panic:_ Faren asked, not so much as twitching. She kept a careful observation on Heero…and Duo in case she would need to intervene in any way.

_: Two Harry Potter books (numbers six and four), five manga—I think two are YuYu Hakusho, two Gundam Wing, and one Demon Diary…but I also have three anime DVDs…and they're Inuyasha and Gundam Wing.:_ Caly replied. _:Remember we were headed to your house for an anime night and fanfiction writing:_

_:Well…yes. I might as well tell you I have all three Lord of the Rings, number five of Harry Potter and all my current stories. But instead of revealing what we know of them…just…:_

_:…reveal that I'm telepathic:_ Caly asked, hopeful.

_:Yes.:_ Faren replied simply.

The conversation took a few seconds, in which Duo had time to catch himself from falling, but was still too shocked to say or do anything else.

Caly masked her emotions behind an impassive look as she said, "Kill me and you'll get likewise…but then again I don't think you'll be able to kill me Heero Yui." She said in an eerily calm voice.

"Then tell me how you knew that." Heero demanded, his gun never wavering.

Caly glanced at Faren, who nodded and with a flick of a finger Heero's gun was instantly in her hand, the safety on. It took Heero only a moment to realize his weapon was gone before lowering his hands, anger now deep in his eyes.

Caly breathed a tiny sigh of relief when she was no longer in immediate danger of being shot. But she could feel the tension rise in the room; they had just demonstrated more magic without _any_ kind of warning, something that could prove dangerous to them. It might be decided that she and Faren were too dangerous to keep around, and that would not bode well for the Mages if the eight people wanted to try to kill them. They might be quite powerful, even without revealing the rest of their tricks, but just like everyone else, could easily be overwhelmed by numbers.

Calypso sighed heavily, her manner drooping where she stood, "I'm sorry this happened, because I said something I shouldn't have. But I have the gift of telepathy." She paused briefly, gathering a little more courage, "I can read minds, project foreign ideas, even just talk mind to mind when I set a link. I didn't mean to read anything from you Duo, but some of my own personal shields on my powers are slipping…" she stopped. That was when she realized that what she was just saying was true…her shields _were_ slipping. She conveyed those thoughts to Faren while she finished, "They're slipping because something in this room is slightly interfering with my magic." She let out a deep breath as she waited for any kind of answer.

Duo and Heero were still intently staring at her, though the latter kept sending glares towards Faren, who silently and calmly held his gun. Duo finally swallowed, took a deep breath of his own, "You are forgiven this once, but my thoughts are going to be carefully guarded from here on out." He said finally.

Caly nodded, taking a quick glance around at the others. From facial expressions alone she knew that all the others would also be very careful with their thoughts.

"I understand and I'll be more careful myself." She said.

Heero's gun was floating through the air towards its owner. Heero glanced at it before casting a suspicious look at Faren.

Faren was amused as she told him, "Go ahead and take it. I haven't done anything to it."

_:Yet.:_ Calypso added mind to mind playfully, though they both knew that if he continued to draw it, they _would_ do something to the gun.

Heero looked back at his gun, staring at it for a few moments more before taking his hardware from midair and holstering it. Faren was turning away from the young man, noticing that as she did so, Gandalf was rising to his feet. His eyes were on the section of the cavern the two mages were on, but behind him.

"The disturbance is over here," Faren turned fully to the wall that was still in perfect condition.

Gandalf made his way to Faren's side, giving her a slight nod when she looked up at him. They were approaching the wall when Faren sent to Caly, _:Why don't you send out your gift and find out where we are.:_

Caly nodded her head, sinking to sit on the ground, trying to find a comfortable enough position despite the rocks and hard ground while closing her eyes.

Avoiding coming into any kind of contact with the others in the cavern (which was easy for her) she felt her awareness open up and extend out until she came across the first teenager mind (adults were sometimes harder to read).

What she found shocked her out of her concentration. Gasping out loud she caused everyone, including Faren and Gandalf to look her way, some with concern.

"What is it? What did you find?" Faren asked quickly, moving to kneel beside her friend.

Calypso turned shocked eyes to Faren, "The cavern in which we are, is on the land that belongs to the family of Neville Longbottom." She said in a breathy voice.


	3. 2 Of Attacks and Discoveries

Notes and Disclaimers: I do not own anything but the two characters of Caly and Faren. I am sadly making no money from this seeing as I do not own anything. Those all belong to their respectful owners. Sorry for the delay, I had trouble writing some of it for lack of inspiration, but I think that the length of this chapter alone will make up for it. Chapter 2 

Faren blinked, trying to determine if she had heard Caly right.

"Who?" Duo, Inuyasha and Kagome asked in bewilderment for everyone.

Caly and Faren looked at each other but it was going to have to be Faren who gave a full explanation because Calypso jumped to her feet and began pacing anxiously.

"What is this? This world is _not_ even supposed to exist! It's a _book_ for crying out loud! How could we have been brought into a world of fantasy!" Caly ranted, wringing her hands together and waving them around at

Faren was instantly concerned for Caly was prone to panic attacks, but she had been getting better, or at least she thought. She started to move towards her friend, but stopped. There was now faint blue energy pulsing from Caly, sparks cracking at irregular intervals.

"Caly?" Faren said in a semi-cautious tone.

But the pacing Mage paid no heed as she continued her tirade. "It's supposed to be fictional! Hogwarts for pity's sake is supposed to be fictional…we're not…This is totally ludicrous! The world of Harry Potter can't exist! That defies just about everyone that we are taught! In school and otherwise!"

"Calypso Anne Garris!" Faren used a forceful voice with a tiny amount of magic behind it.

Calypso blinked, noticing that everyone was watching her with varying expressions. Hiei and Heero were giving off neutral looks. Inuyasha looked like he was afraid she was going to cry. Kagome and Kurama were concerned just as Duo was, though the latter also looked worried for Caly's sake and like he wanted to go help her. The elf was also worried, but out of the eight probably not as worried as Gandalf was.

He could already feel Calypso's powers pulsating through the room and that alone made the wizard worry. If this girl was powerful to just give off waves when she was upset, he was almost afraid of what would happen if she were ever seriously frightened/panicked/or even extremely angry. Those made him also wonder how she had survived with her sanity and mental health intact. As he continued to watch the girl he became slightly alarmed when the blue pulses began to grow in strength.

Without any other warning a pulse of energy rippled through the room, Caly at its center. Everyone felt it, some of them nearly swaying where they stood. As it was Legolas had to almost fight to keep on his feet, the pulse had hit him so hard. In the midst of this Faren grew even more worried and the instant after the wave went through the room she threw out her magic, creating a solid deep blood red shield around Calypso.

"Caly, you need to start calming down. If you don't your attack will get worse…and we don't have the Family to help us this time." Faren said soothingly, yet firmly as she moved to stand just outside her barrier.

Caly blinked again, turning to look at her long-time friend, her eyes still filled with conflicting emotions. Some of them began to fade the tiniest bit as she nodded just once. She collapsed to the floor, hiding her face in her hands while her whole body began to tremble and sobs filled the air.

Even as that happened they could all see the blue waves dissipate, though it looked as if they were very reluctant to be pulled back inside. The magical tension lessened within the shield, and not only in there. Everyone could feel a tension lessen throughout the cavern as the waves disappeared.

Each pair exchanged looks with one another before giving Faren and the one within the shield looks. Hiding it behind all her worry Faren was alarmed.

"It seems that Caly has gotten stronger than last time I had to put that strong of a shield on her." She said casually.

Looks were exchanged once again, but Kurama broke the silence with a question, "Faren, what did you mean by when you said you don't have the Family to help? Has this happened often?"

Faren took a deep breath before deciding to say, "Caly has had these kinds of panic attacks most of her life. They are usually brought on by stress, but I have seen it happen with a couple of other situations."

"Seen it happen? How long have you known her?" Inuyasha asked, despite he was nearly panicky himself; he absolutely loathed when women cried. It was taking a lot of effort to not say anything, but Kagome was helping with that by shooting glares at him.

Faren gave a wry smile, giving Caly a warm glance, "Our whole lives truthfully…We're actually cousins on her mother's side." She replied.

A couple of brief shocked expressions were seen.

"I would've never thought that." Duo said shock showing through the concern and worry. He glanced between the two and added, "You look absolutely _nothing_ alike in _any_ way." He looked skeptical.

Faren didn't laugh, not with Calypso crying right there, but a smirk found its way on her lips. "She takes after her father's side of the family in most ways." With that she turned back to the shield, banishing it by flicking her fingers. She was about to move to her partner's side but Duo beat her to it.

Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Duo gave Caly a sideways hug.

"Caly, may I call you that? It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." He said gently.

Faren knew that she didn't really need to go to her cousin if Duo was there. After all, Duo Maxwell was one of Caly's all time favorite characters.

"You have Faren here…and everyone is fine." Duo continued, "So calming down would be the best thing."

Caly's tears still flowed freely, barely slowing at the braided man's words, but her body began to lean towards his.

To everyone's complete surprise Legolas appeared on Caly's other side, the concern on his face evident to all. His blue eyes were gentle as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We understand that it's hard on you, but if you do not calm down you will make yourself sick. Your cousin and friend will be even more worried." His voice was soft, but very soothing.

That was when the most astonishing thing since they had arrived in the cavern happened. Calypso immediately started to calm the moment Legolas touched her and spoke. Her sobs were already slowing and her tears began to cease their overflow. Faren was astonished greatly. Usually Caly was crying for hours before she reached any measure of calm; this reaction to the elf was almost unbelievable, and she noted it for future reference.

Tiny sighs of relief could be heard from a couple of the others, Duo actually being one of them; he also did not like seeing women, of any age, cry and would practically do anything to get them to stop.

"Thank goodness this was a small-scale attack…" Faren muttered to herself in relief.

But seeing as there were five people that weren't mortal, they all heard it.

"What makes you say that? How bad is a large-scale?" Kurama hesitantly asked.

Faren looked at him, "You would never want a large-scale attack to happen. We've only been through one and it was the last attack before today's." she shook her head, quickly hiding her thoughts and emotions behind a neutral look. She watched the two males whisper more words of comfort to Caly, knowing full well that she was in good hands.

"And why wouldn't we? How bad was it?" Inuyasha asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Faren looked sharply at him, not wishing to reveal personal matters to virtual strangers…but along that train of thought came that if they were all going to be stuck together for an indefinite amount of time, might as well get to know them and vice versa. Forewarned was forearmed after all, and if Caly has another attack, the others would be prepared.

"Fine. I'll put it bluntly. Caly is so powerful she mindblasted all who was within a hundred meters, nearly killing at least a dozen; the elements went into chaos in the immediate area—fires sporadically erupted into being, whirlwinds tore at anything near, earth collapsed and crumbled, streams flooded. Animals were scared and fled, and those were just the lucky ones. And all of that happened before we could manage to get her contained. It took no less than seven mages and nearly half a dozen of her own family members to put her to rights. As it was it took nearly two weeks for her to feel of any use in any way. Like I said, you would _never_ want to witness a large-scale attack." Faren stated simply and quite bluntly.

Silence followed for minutes after her words, at least for those not helping to calm Calypso.

Caly was now crying silently, though her tears were still slowly spilling down her cheeks. Duo managed to get her to lower her hands, one of which he was holding comfortingly. Legolas now sat by her side, his hand still on her shoulder, giving small squeezes. Her body shuddered as she took deep calming breaths, wiping at her eyes with her free hand.

Faren waved a hand, emitting a pale red energy that flew around Calypso and herself. Then she watched as Caly turned her face up to look at her friend, her blue eyes red and puffy as her whole face looked wet and tear-stained. It was then that the telepathic Mage realized it was indeed the elf and the gundam pilot that was beside her and giving her comfort. She glanced down at her hand in Duo's and mentally smiled just a tiny bit, but she raised her eyes to her cousin again, wondering what magic she sent out.

"Comment ça va?" Faren asked, using French; it was one of the languages they had learned since childhood at the insistence of the Mage side of their family.

"Je suis d'accord." Caly said in a hoarse, slightly wavering voice.

At the sound of her voice Duo and Legolas knew they were doing a lot of good. But when they realized the two mages were speaking another language everyone figured Faren had done something to the language spell she had originally set.

"Caly, are you sure you're alright? I may not be part of your brethren, but you know I'll do whatever I can." Faren said, the concern she felt laced through her voice.

Caly nodded, "I know you are. And whenever we hopefully returned, we'll have to tell the entire Family of the interesting development. Don't try to hide it. I know that the light-haired one here greatly influenced the claming." her voice was a little steadier as she continued to speak, though all the crying she had done made her sinuses congested.

Faren gave a warm smile to the one on the ground and felt extremely relieved when it was returned, if only briefly. Slightly nodding she waved her hand once again, putting her language spell back to what it had been. But she didn't see the look Duo and Heero shared at that moment or she would have known they were suspicious again. For they _had_ understood what they said, making them wonder what exactly did they mean by "brethren". It was then that they realized there was something more to the Mages, something they weren't telling. But for now they would keep it to themselves.

Her tears were finally drying on her cheeks when Caly turned her attention to the two on either side of her again. "Thank you." She said softly, a little shy now.

Duo gave her a gentle smile, "No problem babe, anything for someone as gorgeous as you." Mischief entered his voice and expression again, but his words evoked the desired reaction: Caly blushed, the skin beneath the tear tracks turning crimson.

Faren couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle. Oh yeah, with Duo around Calypso was going to be back to normal in no time. No one could resist such charms and tactics. It was at that moment she realized Gandalf had already turned back to the wall and was holding a hand just a few inches away, trying to sense what was hidden.

Faren herself turned her attention to the wall, too putting out a hand as if to test how hot it was. She could feel undercurrents of magic, even many different power signatures, but without being able to see how it was laid out, she knew they wouldn't be able to determine what it was exactly. With a tiny sigh, her shoulders sagged and she lowered her hand to her side. It was then that some certain thoughts ran across her mind. Half turning to where Caly still sat she said, "Caly, the spell needs to be revealed and seeing as that's one of your specialties, do you think you'll be able to do it?"

Caly looked up the moment she heard her name, but had to shake her head at the request. "My powers are still going to be a little too unsteady. It'll probably take a couple of hours before I can do anything." She said truthfully with a slight frown. She wanted to help, but she couldn't so soon after an attack.

"So you're good at revealing hidden things?" Duo asked mischievously.

Caly couldn't help but give a tiny giggle, nodding in reply.

"Is that solely for magical purposes?" he inquired.

There was a new light in Caly's eyes as she met Duo's violet gaze, making him do a doubletake. At once he was suspicious, discovering that Caly had mischievousness in her expression.

"If you're referring to all the little bits of metal hidden in your hair, no it's not restricted to only magical things."

Everyone could hear the smile (though a cautious one) in her voice. Duo's grin replaced itself with yet another expression of utter shock.

Faren narrowed her eyes, "Caly, don't tell me you're making use of that reveal concealed spell again," she said, a very slight disapproving tone in her voice.

Caly looked instantly sheepish as she tried to avoid meeting Faren's gaze.

"Which piece of jewelry is it? I know you're wearing the matching set of earrings and necklace spelled orbs." Faren didn't quite tap her foot.

Caly gave a small giggle, though still looked sheepish, which looked ridiculous with her tear-stained, still-puffy face. It took a few minutes before they all heard her speak again.

"The reveal concealed spell is in my left earring and the metal detecting spell is in my necklace." Caly said without ever missing a beat. She met Faren's gaze, her expression open and truthful.

"And your right earring? What spell do you hold in that one?" Faren inquired.

Caly blushed even more crimson as she muttered, "A demon tracking spell."

Surprise ran along the expressions of many of the others, but not nearly as much as Faren.

"Why would you have…?" Faren trailed off as a thoughtful expression stole over her face. "I see…but why after all this time? He disappeared three years ago." She said with a solemn tone.

Caly nodded, "I know…but even so, he has tried to send curses at my family since then." She said. Faren looked slightly alarmed, her back straightening up as her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Faren, not the mage side…the other side. You know how Rien was prejudiced about my family." Caly said quickly.

"What the heck are you talking about! Why would anyone have a demon tracking spell!" Inuyasha said rather loudly, not quite jumping up from his sitting position next to Kagome.

The two Mages exchanged one last look before looking at the one in red with silver dog ears.

"Because the one I speak of was a fire demon…just as Hiei is…" Caly said slowly, casting her gaze over to the black-clad red-eyed Hiei. "But don't worry, I won't hold that against you." She added.

Surprise and astonishment filled the room for only a moment before Hiei was instantly on his feet, his sword drawn and glaring at the woman.

"Explain yourself." He said through gritted teeth. His manner spoke of violence and lots of it, but Caly was not intimidated by him, not one little bit.

Taking her hand from Duo's and shrugging off Legolas's, she rose gracefully to her feet to face the enraged fire demon she had just revealed. She appeared calm and collected despite the mess of tearstains on her face.

"I just told you that one of the various spells I have set to my jewelry is a demon tracking one. It works continuously, never failing, and always lets me know when a demon is nearby and what kind. I'm not some mere mortal you will be able to push around Hiei, so even if you and Kurama decide to go against me, I will know what kind of demons you are and what can be used against you." She said calmly and sincerely.

As Faren watched, with readied spells only needing a spoken word or flick of the finger, her expression neutral while she hoped that Caly wouldn't do anything rash. But even as she hoped that she could tell that Caly's magical strength and energy were increasing and gathering quicker than if left alone. Caly would be recovered sooner than expected it seemed.

Kurama was just the tiniest bit surprised to be pulled into this fight, but knew it had been inevitable. With a tiny sigh he rose to his feet, but Hiei nearly growled at him, "This is my fight. Stay out of it fox."

"Very well Hiei. But I should remind you that they are not all that they seem. She may very well defeat you without ever lifting a finger." Kurama said sensibly.

"I would listen to him if I were you Hiei. When pushed and enraged Caly has been known to do unbelievable feats of magic. And I don't mean with her telepathy." Faren said evenly. She had relaxed a small amount when Kurama spoke up, knowing that if anyone, only Kurama would be able to get through to Hiei.

Seemingly Hiei thought about that, but still did not lower his sword. The minutes dragged on, until Caly grew bored with him, her anger disappearing. With one last look at the enraged demon she looked at the others, "But I don't use my spells for harm. Just harmless curiosity and caution." She said as she slowly made her way to the wall where Faren and Gandalf silently still stood.

As she moved to study the whole wall, already seeing things that the others did not. The others were torn with amusement from glancing between Hiei and Calypso, the former still holding his sword, but now clearly bewildered from being ignored. Finally after staring at the woman for several more minutes he huffed away, sheathing his sword as he went to the other side of the cave. Kurama smirked when he could hear his friend muttering to himself, but did not share with the others what he heard.

Caly on the other hand grinned to herself, having won that particular argument with the demon. Glancing over her shoulder she playfully said, "Don't worry, I don't think I could divine any other secrets from you guys that aren't so obvious."

"Calypso…" Faren gave a warning look. Her best friend just grinned cheekily at her and then turned her attention back to the wall.

"Let's see…" Caly said as she walked to one side, dodging all the rocks she passed by. "Oh my…" she blinked at the section before her and said to Faren, "Do you realize how much power went into planning this alone? They must have had dozens of witches and wizards working on this spell."

Faren sighed, but it was Duo and Inuyasha who yelled out in frustration and annoyance, "Will you just do something already?"

Caly was just a little startled at being shouted at, half turning to look at them. The violet-eyed young man had risen to his feet along with the elf and most of the others were watching her with interest. She blinked at them a few times before realizing that she still was the only one who could see what was hidden on the wall.

"Oops, sorry," she said sheepishly, lowering her head slightly. With a shake of the head and straightening of the shoulders she turned to the wall once more, her hands glowing blue.

"I thought you said you couldn't use your magic for a while." Kagome spoke up.

Without glancing at the young woman Caly said, "My argument with Hiei brought my powers recovering faster than usual. I've had it happen before since my powers are aligned with my emotions pretty much all the time."

"Then how do your powers get away from you so much if it's assumed that you are fully trained and in complete control of them?" Heero surprised everyone in speaking up.

This time the woman glanced at the stoic one and said simply, "I'm mortal." With a tiny exasperated sound she raised her hands to the wall and said, "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to reveal the spell so the rest of you people can see it as well…but I can't do that if you keep throwing words and questions at me."

Everyone was now silent, even those who were prone to start talking just because they were told to be silent.

With a satisfied nod she raised her glowing hand to the highest part of the spell and touched a certain area of the stone. Leaving some of her power behind she crouched to touch a spot near the floor and then walked to the other side of the spell-wall and did the same parallel to the other spots she left. Examining the power she left behind for a few moments she nodded, pleased with herself and then moved to stand in front of the wall in the center. Faren and Gandalf had to move, but they did so without question.

Taking a deep breath she held out her hands palms out towards the wall and said slowly and clearly,

"The ancient magic that forms you

has proved that time can hold true

but here are those that need your might

so with my power return to sight."

The spots of power she had left brightened and then creeped outwards till it was a solid blanket of power over the wall. As she lowered her hands her power faded, but what was revealed astonished even Heero.

Designs, runes and jumbles of lines ran messily all across the wall. Most were intertwined and crossed over with others, but some, actually five pairs of symbols were not crossed over in any way except for one. They were all connected to the main spell, but those are what had drawn Caly's eye now.

"Oh my," Faren said as she blinked to take in the sight.

"I told you so," Caly retorted as she knelt in front of the nearest pair of symbols. She traced over two stars surrounded by leaves, flames, little swirls that resembled air currents and water droplets. It was very curious to see symbols such as this in the midst of a complicated spell such as this. The pair that was a few inches above it were hands, but each one was clutching something tightly.

Momentarily her attention was pulled away when Hiei spoke up, "It would be nicely ironic if that was the reason we're all here."

Faren looked back at the demon and said calmly, "And it might be," she glanced at the symbol Caly was currently looking at and suddenly said, "I believe that the pair of hands would symbolize thieves. Why else would free hands be clutching something so tightly?" she asked.

Caly blinked at the symbols and then looked up at her friend. "Are you sure?"

Faren nodded, "I'm pretty sure." Her eyes wandered to the other side of the spell, taking in the all the other symbols—two swords, each with a spear crossed over, a paw print side by side with a human figure with lines pointing out of it like lights. There was also a scroll crossed with a feather quill next to a group of leaves, flowers and little flames, little droplets and little swirls. Those were all of them, Faren even had to move aside to actually peer at the rest on the other side of the spell.

Pointing at the swords and spears she looked at her partner and Gandalf, "These two here could mean swordsmen or warriors and here, the scroll could mean a person of knowledge, a scholar if it were." She said as she moved her hand over to point to the others. She looked at Gandalf meaningfully and then gazed at the scroll symbol again. He followed her gaze, trying to determine what she meant by it.

"You think that these symbolize us?" Duo asked, coming closer to the three in front of the spell.

"It makes a lot of sense if you think about it." Faren said and was interrupted by Caly, "It does, the person symbol could represent something with spiritual or holy powers, like a priestess," she glanced sidelong at Kagome before continuing, "though the paw print makes little sense."

"Paw print? As in a print that could have been made by a dog?" Kagome spoke up. She blinked at her partner and said, "That could possibly mean you Inuyasha."

"What makes you say that!" the half demon exclaimed, trying to peer at the spell over the shoulders of the others while remaining where he was with the girl.

"You're half "dog" demon you dimwit." Kagome said with exasperation. Her partner was silent after that, but a certain light in his eyes let everyone know that he was thinking about what she said and that he hadn't liked being called names.

Caly rose to her feet to examine the symbols that were just the four elements, the one without the stars and then gazed around until her eyes met the elf's. "I think Legolas is the elements. The earth outweighs the other three and it is always assumed that elves are more intuned with the earth."

Legolas held her gaze for a few more moments, trying to determine how she deducted that much, but would have to wait for another time; she looked away towards the symbol with the stars.

"So the priestess and dog print go together and they are Kagome and Inuyasha. Legolas is the elements and therefore the scroll must be Gandalf." Faren was saying when everyone's attention was brought away from the elf. "So that would mean that each pair of symbols come from a different world."

Gandalf nodded and then said, "So these are indeed symbolizing the ten of us. But why?" A frown marred his face as he tried to puzzle it out.

"What about the rest of us? Which ones are we?" Duo asked, peering over Caly's shoulder. The woman pushed him back a few inches, shooting him a tiny glare.

"Not so close. We don't want to touch the spell much, just in case our magic does something to it. We will all most likely need it to get back to our own worlds." She said. "Besides, we don't know if anyone else here has magic that could possibly interfere with what we have already." She added.

He took a step backwards silently, but his violet eyes were wide in his excitement, though other emotions warred with each other: disbelief of what was happening, but acceptance was soon trailing that one. Heero had remained where he originally stood, watching everything and especially keeping an eye on his wayward partner.

"Don't worry I'll get to you Duo. Just be patient." Caly said as she turned her eyes back to the spell. A moment later, and after whispering with Faren she said, "The elements with the stars represent Faren and I, for the stars usually look mystical in spell-wise…that and the fact that we can control the four elements to certain extents."

"That leaves the weapons and the hands." Faren said thoughtfully. She turned her gaze towards the two demons and then towards Heero. Caly also looked at Hiei and Kurama and then the gundam pilots. They knew that all four could represent both sets of symbols, but they weren't completely and totally sure which pair went with each symbol.

Caly caught Faren's gaze and then said telepathically, _:Do you think we should just assume that the pilots are the thieves and the demons are the warriors? Hiei and Kurama are after all, more experienced with fighting and despite that the other two being soldiers, I think they have more stealth than fighting skills.:_

Faren looked at the four again and back at the spell once more before nodding slightly and then announcing, "The thieves are Duo and Heero and that leaves the warrior symbols to the demons."

Everyone looked around at each other, but none of them protested or complained about what they had been labeled for the spell.

"But _why_ were we specifically picked for the spell? For in truth I have also been a thief in the past." Kurama spoke up.

"And how did you know to label me as a priestess? I have done nothing to betray that fact." Kagome also spoke up with a thoughtful frown. Inuyasha now sat straight up, alert and ready to do anything. His hand itched to grasp the hilt of his sword, but Kagome placed a hand on his arm, knowing his intent and wishing to keep the violence to zero.

The two mages stilled, exchanging silent looks and then looking at the spell again. Faren was the one who answered, "Kagome, your aura is more spiritual than magical and more delicate whereas ours is magical in a very general and varying sense." She silently told Caly to take the other explanation.

Caly half turned to look at everyone watching her and Faren expectantly. Letting her thoughts run through her once more she calmly said, "As to why we were specifically chosen, we haven't come to that conclusion just yet. This spell is complicated in and of itself. It will take a while for us to unravel even a little portion to understand it fully."

Faren nodded, as did Gandalf, who agreed with that reasoning for that was what he deducted himself. Caly mentally sighed in relief. She was exceedingly glad that they all accepted that explanation despite that it _was_ true and didn't raise any more incriminating questions. If that happened again she wasn't sure if she and Faren could come up with anything without too much hesitation. Information that the two of them could reveal that wasn't already shared could prove possibly deadly for them. It would also prove they both knew exceedingly amounts more than they were letting on, breaking any amount of trust they had already gained. And for now the two needed to gain their trust, and not just the two Mages alone. They _all_ needed to gain each others' trust.

"You can read auras?" Kagome asked curiously. She set down her pen, nearly pushing aside her schoolwork.

"Yes. Being able to read auras is actually part of what we are able to see when we use our magical sight." Caly explained, Faren nodding her head in agreement.

Kagome now looked thoughtful and after a few moments tentatively asked, "Could you perhaps teach me to read auras better?"

Inuyasha jerked his gaze towards his partner, his expression bewildered. "Why would you want to do that!" he exclaimed.

Kagome turned her head to meet his gaze and calmly replied, "It will cut down on the time it takes us to find demons and it will certainly help us in our current situation." She glanced at the two mages again before turned pleading eyes back to the half demon, "Please Inuyasha, if I am able to learn more about reading auras than I ever could back home, it will help us all in the long run. Especially against Naraku."

He stared at her, a faint look in his eyes that told everyone he wasn't quite sure what to do, for just a few moments before sighing heavily. Looking away from her, his posture a little stiff and distant he grumbled, "Fine. Do what you want."

Kagome's eyes lit up and she nearly hugged him, but caught herself before she moved. She turned her radiant face to the mages.

Faren raised an eyebrow in question at Caly, who looked delighted at the thought of teaching someone.

_:Caly, you must remember that you will not be able to teach her. Your powers have a rare undertone that others do not see, let alone have themselves. I think that I should be the one to the actual teaching, but you should also be there as well.:_

A small frown crossed Caly's face, her gaze meeting her friend's. _:Very well, but you inform her.:_ she replied.

As Faren turned to do so Caly directed her attention to the others, Kurama catching her eye. The redhead had moved closer to where the entrance was caved in, examining the wreckage. Hiei had also moved but to keep close to his partner along with his own reasons. Caly wandered over to them, a curious expression lighting her face. She knew that he was trying to figure out how to escape the cavern, but she was curious as to what he was thinking.

He raised emerald eyes to her as she approached. The expression on his face was welcoming, friendly and curious. But she could see pertinent questions running behind his eyes. She glanced at the caved-in entrance and asked,

"Have you come up with any ideas to get all us out?"

Kurama was about to say something when Inuyasha, who had turned away from Faren and Kagome to listen and watch Caly, speak up, "Why don't you…mages…just use your magic to get us out? You've already proved that you're powerful enough to do so."

Faren quickly finished her conversation with Kagome as they all looked at the half demon and Mage. Faren exchanged a look with Caly before saying, "We don't know what exactly we're dealing with yet. It could be more than simple cave-in."

Caly nodded and added, "The cave is too unstable. If we were to use our magic so carelessly and liberally we might just kill everyone here."

Silence followed for only a few minutes before Kurama softly suggested, "Why don't we accelerate the growth of plants to brace the walls at the same time moving them aside to clear a way out?"

Caly looked at the demon, the wall, and then met Faren's eyes. Caly looked excited, everyone could see that clearly as she said, "We can do that."

"That would work," Faren said at the same time. A few chuckles broke out among the two women and a couple of the others.

"You are able to do as I had suggested?" Kurama asked slightly surprised.

Caly and Faren nodded, "We are both capable of controlling the elements to certain extents." Faren started. "But I am more proficient with earth and water, Faren being the opposite." Caly finished with a smile. "I think we may have mentioned that earlier though." She added thoughtfully.

Kurama just nodded, belatedly remembering that fact. "My powers lie with plants, but I am sure you know of this." He pointedly looked at Caly's jewelry. She nodded as Faren walked up to them before Caly asked, "So how did you plan on doing this? I can call up roots form the immediate surrounding area and any seedlings that might be buried too deep, but that would most likely cause some problems."

Kurama studied her face before turning the same expression to the rocks. While he was quiet the rest of the group watched on, that is except for Gandalf. The old man's attention was held by the spell-wall. He occasionally muttered to himself as his gaze roved over the vast and complicated spell.

Kurama reached into a pocket after a few minutes and pulled out a small pouch. Caly watched curiously as he opened the pouch and spilled numerous kinds of seeds into his hand. He sorted through them before putting some back into the pouch, but keeping a fair amount out in his hand. The pouch went back into the pocket from which it had sprung.

"Oh!" Caly exclaimed as Kurama called on his magic to make one of the seeds sprout right in his palm. "A vine!"

Kurama smiled warmly, glancing up to look at the young woman. "I assumed these would work to our advantage the most." He said.

Caly nodded her head, slowly reaching out to touch the delicate seedling with a fingertip. The instant her skin (and magic) made contact with the tiny seedling her powers surged through it and jumped to the rest of the seeds in the demon's hand. Kurama drew in a sharp intake of breath as Caly jumped in startlement; all the seeds sprouted and were growing at an alarming rate.

_:Shield against your natural powers Caly! Now:_ came Faren's mind voice breaking into the shock and startlement that clouded the mage's mind.

Caly physically jerked at the mental words, her skin losing contact with the seedlings. The instant she lost the connection, the seedlings ceased their accelerated growth, though still grew very slowly.

Kurama let out a tiny sigh of relief as Caly frowned at her hand. She rubbed her fingers together as if something was there before rubbing her hand against her hip.

"What happened!" Duo exclaimed, his eyes wide, glancing between the two.

Kurama's emerald gaze lifted to meet Caly's blue/green, both considering the question. They both didn't know what to make of it, but Caly slowly and softly said, "I think it was an inherited branch of my powers reacting to a demon's. Despite that it could have been a bad thing, we could use it to a good advantage in the future."

Kurama merely nodded, though everyone else was very wary and uncertain what to make of the situation. Without another word, he took the few steps closer to the actual caved-in entrance and scattered the seedlings on the ground, more to the sides so that when Caly did her part they wouldn't be in the way of the walkway. He watched them closely, noticing that even without his powers (or hers for that matter) the seedlings were still growing on their own, already being at two feet and stretching.

"Will you need help?" Faren asked as they all watched Caly take a sitting position in front of the plants.

Caly settled herself, making small adjustments and throwing little rocks away from her before looking up at her friend and cousin. "I don't know yet. You have known me long enough and united your powers with mine often enough to know if I will be needing assistance." She said truthfully. With only one more glance at Faren she turned to the project at hand.

Straightening her back she lifted her hands before her, palms down and fingers straight out together. Her mind began to wander, or rather just focus on the earth beneath her, in front of her and all around her. She slowly opened her magical senses to her magic and what lay before her. She could "see" the magic surrounding the seedlings, hers and Kurama's, could almost touch it with the tendrils of light blue extending from herself. Her attention was also drawn to the vast amount of energy and ancient spells long forgotten still lying dormant or already activated within the cave and without. There was so much out there she began to feel herself wander away and start to lose focus.

A pulse of energy not belonging to this world shot out and gently pushed at Caly's awareness. That brought the woman back into focus and mentally shook her head. She would have to remember to thank Faren for that; she almost completely forgot about what she was doing, almost becoming lost in trying to discover and learn more about the surrounding magical energies. Now being able to concentrate, she called forth her magic, sending it out down through her arms to her fingers and towards the plants.

The seedlings began to faintly glow blue as they started spreading out, reaching out towards the rocks and debris barring their way to freedom. Even as the vines and roots both were dispersing themselves, Caly's fingers were doing the same thing; spreading out just as her powers were having the plants do the same.

Everyone listened carefully as they watched a walkway slowly appear before them, but it was slow coming. There wasn't much cleared, and they weren't sure why it was taking so long. With as much Caly and Faren had been talking about their powers, it would have been obvious this would have been a simple enough task. But the ones closest to the girl could see that Faren was beginning to be worried. They could tell that she was about ready to go to her friend.

"If she needs the help, then what is holding you back? She said so herself that you know her well enough that you will know if and when she will need assistance. From the way you are watching her it seems that you think she needs it." Kurama said gently.

Faren looked up at him, considering his words for only a few moments before shaking her head to clear it of any thoughts and doubts she had been having. Resolved as she was now she moved until she stood directly behind Caly, her own form now glowing of her powers. Lifting her red glowing hands she placed them on Caly's shoulders lightly as she knelt down behind the young woman. Now that their powers were combining, the magic surrounding the seedlings was violet. The vines spread faster and with more strength than just when Caly had been alone. A walkway began to clear before them, moonlight beginning to shine through cracks into the cave.

She knew something was going on. Ever since Neville had been discovered coming out of the ancient cave she knew that something had happened within. She hadn't been able to get away from the family though to prove that she was right until it was very late in the afternoon. The family hadn't even noticed when she left; they were still so occupied with Neville.

She was very easily able to sneak out of the manor and make her way to the general area of the cave. She had always known about it for as long as she could remember. There was a certain branch of powers in her family line that she had inherited and that was how she had found the cave in the first place because even at the tender age of six her gift of sight was clear, memorable and powerful. She knew that the cave would prove useful in the future and that something would happen within when they needed it most. She had kept that information to herself, she hadn't even told her mother or father, not that she had been able to though.

So she had found a sufficient hiding place behind some bushes, just outside of the entrance…or where the entrance was supposed to be now that it was caved in. She started out crouching but after a while she realized she would be there for a long while and decided to actually sit in a comfortable position.

At certain points she thought she heard voices, but at one point she could have sworn she felt something on the supernatural level. And she had no idea what it was, nor did it feel like it was the wizard/witch type of magic. No, it had a different feel to it and she was going to remain here until she found out what was going on.

A few hours passed in which she had to leave for just a few minutes to grab something to eat and some water from the kitchen, but she still used the bushes to hide behind. Lucky thing too, since she was almost caught by her grandmother when she had just got past the garden outside of the kitchen door. She managed to claim her hiding place in time.

But long after darkness fell she heard different noises coming from the cave. It sounded like rocks were being moved from the entrance. She didn't know how that was happening, but as she watched more carefully, rising to her knees to a have better look she thought she saw vines. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts she actually rose to her feet; the entrance had been cleared and there was something moving around.

Her hand moved to where she had her wand hidden just as she came into clear sight of the cave entrance and just in time to see as two women walked out, both glowing faintly of magic. Immediately she drew her wand, aimed defensively at the two. "Who are you!" she exclaimed.

NOTE: If anyone has noticed what I have been hinting cookies for you!


	4. 31 Of Interrogations and Magic

**Notes and Disclaimers:** I own nothing but the two characters Faren and Calypso…oh and Brie. I own nothing else. Sorry it took me so long to get something out. My life has been very hectic for the past several months and I had writers block for some of it. Well anyways, chapter 3 was turning out to be so long I decided to cut it in half. So here's the first part. Enjoy!!!!

**Chapter 3**

**Part 1**

The two Mages came out, and though Caly had mentally let the other know that she sensed someone out there, they were still surprised that said person had already drawn a wand defensively on them. As if they had done anything yet! They hadn't even been there long enough for any kind of mischief to take place, not that Faren would cause much grief as a result of troublemaking.

But even though that was the truth and both the women knew it, they were on unfamiliar ground and that could be considered trespassing. It was better to play it safe, and by safe, meaning to display enough magic that could possibly get anyone that came into contact with them to accept that they were not to be messed with.

So even as they continued to emerge from the cave, Faren moved in front of Caly, spells and pure magic ready to be used at her disposal. Caly glanced back behind her, finding the rest of their group, including Gandalf, following the two. Duo was actually in the lead, with Kurama close behind him. Soon after was Hiei, Heero, then Kagome, Inuyasha and lastly the elf and the wizard. Caly again looked at the one before them and raised glowing hands, bringing up a shield around the ten; she didn't want anything, even unintentionally, to happen to anyone. But even as she spun the shield around them, she lowered it to a very fine veil because she knew that she and Faren would be able to handle anything if a fight came to be.

"Who are you!?" the teenaged woman asked once again, brandishing her wand at them. Fear and bravado entered her eyes and voice, but so far she was good at controlling it and not letting it control her actions.

"I'm Calypso." The mage holding the barrier replied cheerfully.

"I'm her partner Faren. Now who you are?" the hazel-eyed mage said simply.

The witch before them considered their answers, and swallowed before answering in turn, "I am Brie."

As soon as she finished saying her name, loud pops sounded and numerous people now stood around the girl and formed a semi-circle in front of the cave.

"I was sure that you had gone off somewhere. Then I wondered if something had happened when Neville had been inside the cavern. Now we find out that indeed something happened." A firm voice rang out clearly. It was an old woman, but a woman who had aged well into her later years.

The entire Longbottom family drew their wands, the girl Brie pushed behind the other members to be out of line of fire. The instant the wands were drawn the remaining eight of the group from the cave all drew their own weapons at the same exact moment, bringing a slightly amused smile to Caly's face.

But even as this amused the two Mages, they were both reaching out for each other's hands, already drawing on their magic. In unison and with combined magics they spun shields around each individual person, in both groups.

Everyone blinked for just an instant before they heard, "Well shit, not again." Inuyasha and Duo said in unison. Once they finished, they looked at each other, grins on their faces, though their attention was drawn to Kagome, who had taken one look at the shield surrounding her and exclaimed in annoyance, "Damn it!"

Duo and Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh, the latter saying, "I'm really rubbing off on you."

Kagome frowned at this and looked at the half demon, "Sit boy." She said firmly, the annoyance and a touch of anger lighting up her brown eyes.

Inuyasha fell face first into the ground, his sword never leaving his hand as his body made a loud and hard impact. He groaned as he slowly lifted himself up, saying, "Damn it."

Duo burst into laughter, holstering his gun to hold his sides as he bent over double with his guffaws. Caly couldn't help but hide her smile behind a hand, trying to suppress her own giggles. A couple of the others smirked, but otherwise were quiet, weapons still drawn though lowering with the shields up.

Tension that had permeated the area began to slowly lessen with the hilarity that one of the newcomers was still in the fits of and that all weapons were beginning to be lowered. After several moments of silently looking around, both groups studying one another, Faren and Calypso glanced at each other in turn and both gave a small smile and a tiny nod. Together they each waved their right hand in sync and the shields slowly melted away.

"They will remain gone as long as the weapons and wands go as well. I'd rather not have anyone engaged in a fight." Caly said lightly, trying for a casual, yet completely honest tone.

"Magical or otherwise," Faren added, her gaze going towards Inuyasha, knowing that he would prove the most persistent and bothersome if he had the urge to be. She found that the eight were taking this time and using it wisely in examining their surroundings and any possible escape routes or cover if the need arose to make use of them. It was always a possibility that they would need to make a hasty retreat, but she dearly hoped that nothing came to be.

"Very well. A truce is issued forth in hopes that you offer the same." The woman said, barely taking enough time to exchange glances with her own group.

Faren nodded, "Truce accepted and offered in turn," she looked around her group, making eye with each of them. They all gave their consent to her words. She didn't need to exchange glances with Caly; they were usually in agreement when it came to the safety and welfare of others.

The lady half turned to some of her companions, exchanging glances, though for different reasons than Faren had. Some of the looks the witch received were curiosity others were suspicious. When she turned back to the mixed group and said, "We do have some concerns for our own safety and welfare…Questions will be asked and depending on whether you answer, what you answer or not will determine the future of your stay here." She was as careful as she could possibly be. She didn't what else these strangers were capable of and she didn't want to find out by being on the opposing end of them.

Faren nodded simply, words were not needed for this one. She nodded briefly in return and then searched her thoughts for the beginning of the questions. Finally she decided on one and ventured forth, "I am Minerva McGonagall, but who are you?"

"Faren Tashi and my partner here is…" she looked at her cousin. The moment she trailed off Caly picked up the rest, "Calypso Garris, Caly for short."

A moment of silence passed, looks exchanging among a few in the group before the redhead spoke up, "I'm Kurama."

"Hiei," the red-eyed demon said simply, not quite using an attitude.

The half demon, still gripping his sword hilt, which was still noticed by nearly everyone, glanced at the British group and said, "Heh. I'm Inuyasha."

"I'm Kagome Higurashi." The young woman said, giving Inuyasha a look that said he'd better behave. The half demon saw the look and for now tried to ignore some of the various threats behind it. Though he had an attitude problem and was stubborn to no end and would never lose a chance to argue with the girl he didn't want to be "sat" again anytime soon.

After that the elf took a slight step forward, closer to the two mages and said, "I'm Legolas."

With a slight sigh the wizard considered it for a moment and then said, "I am Gandalf."

Lastly the two pilots were the only one left to introduce themselves and it was Duo who spoke.

"I'm none other than Duo Maxwell and this loner is Heero Yui." He pointed at his blue-eyed partner.

Silence followed this last declaration, but what broken at the sudden question from one of the other wizards, "Why does he not speak for himself? Is he not capable of it?"

Heero didn't seem offended by this, but he straightened his posture a bit more, his hands clenched at his sides and stared straight at the man who had spoke. Carefully and deliberately Heero spoke, "Why must a solitary soldier like myself have to answer when he has a loud-mouthed energetic friend who would be more than willing to answer for him?"

Surprised glances were exchanged amongst the British group, some of them exchanging quiet words as well. Some of the group of ten exchanged glances, some of them directed at Heero. They didn't know what to make of him. Duo was about to say something to his companion but was interrupted by another question.

This time it was from a man with fiery red hair, a rugged look with broad shoulders with tanned and scarred skin that spoke of hard work. "_What_ are you?"

Faren and Caly looked at each other, not sure what to make of it.

"Why do you ask this?" Gandalf asked, a white eyebrow rose in puzzlement.

The redhead met his gaze head on and said, "Clearly not all of you are human." He gave a slight nod to the silver-haired one with the dog-ears set atop his head.

Looks were directed at Inuyasha, who stared back at them defiantly, not wanting to appear self-conscious, though inside he was. Kagome could tell that he was and moved a little closer to his side. He looked down at her, his eyes seeming to warm at the sight of her. He was glad that she was here at his side.

Gandalf nodded slowly and said, "Indeed we aren't. I'm a wizard."

"Elf." Legolas said in a somewhat quiet tone of voice.

"Human." Kagome automatically said.

"Half demon." Inuyasha said in defiance, waiting to see if anyone would try to attack him for it. When none came his posture slightly relaxed.

"Human for both of us," Duo said, looking at Heero.

"Demon," Kurama said, though a touch of uncertainty entered his voice.

"Demon," Hiei said.

Out of the two mages Caly went first with her, "I'm mortal."

"As am I," Faren finished up. Her emotions were masked across her face, but her thoughts to Caly were a little worried. _"They're going to be suspicious about that one. This particular little secret is going to come out sometime very soon and I have a bad feeling about it."_

Without so much as moving her body but to tilt her head slightly to the side Caly replied, _"I'm sure we can keep it up for enough time to become settled enough here that it won't really matter. But you don't have to keep dragging yourself down in this one."_

"_We are partners, you and I, and whatever judgment will be made of you I will be right there beside you. Besides, telepathically bonded as we are, my fate is going to be yours."_

"_And together we'll puzzle through this adventure."_ Caly's last words were tinged with warmth and companionship.

Faren glanced at her, a very faint smile on her lips before turning forward again.

"Where are you from?" an older redhead asked this one the same time an one-eyed old man asked, "Were you expecting to become engaged in battle?" his one eye (the other glass and for the moment assumed just fake by most of the group, kept darting from various weapons to others, lingering on the swords and bows.

"Please, just one at a time. We'll get to yours in a moment Alastor, just be patient."

"Minerva, they could be some kind of spies for all we know. We must make haste and find out why they are here." The one named Alastor retorted.

"Nonetheless, one question at a time." McGonagall said more firmly.

He seemed to consider this and reluctantly nodded his head.

Some in the group of ten wanted to burst out and say something when they were accused of being spies, but their partners kept them quiet. They were treading on dangerous ground and didn't want to tread any deeper.

A moment more passed before McGonagall turned back to the group and repeated the first question, "So where are you from?"

"Japan," Hiei and Kurama said in unison.

"I'm from Japan as well, but Inuyasha here is from the Feudal Era of Japan." Kagome said, tilting her head towards her red-clad partner.

Even more eyebrows raised amongst the British folk, more than they had already. If what these strangers were saying, then time-travel was possible for them. If it was, then all sorts of possibilities were beginning to open up.

"We're from the United States." Faren spoke up. No one knew that behind this she was masking uncertainty. It was true that she and Caly were initially from the U.S. but there were complications even for that.

Gandalf answered for him and the elf and said, "Middle Earth is where we are from."

That left Duo. He was a little hesitant and uncertain exactly what he could say, but after a brief look with Heero he said, "Well, in truth we are from the space colonies, but they originate from Japan for Heero and the States for me."

That caused some curious stares and frowns. Obviously this was a little new for most of the ones here, and for the others, they didn't know what to believe. Faren and Caly looked at the pilots and then at each other, knowing full well that Duo would have told the truth anyway, not matter how bizarre it would sound to others. Hopefully the two mages wouldn't have to reveal what they knew any time soon trying to help/save them.

For several minutes the questions ceased while the wizard group exchanged their own words and questions between them. Some of what could be heard was duly noted by a few of the ten, Caly one of them and informed Faren. Some of their words they were learning wouldn't bode well for the group of ten. The mages eased back into the midst of the group a bit more, trying to be as close to the others without crowding them and to position themselves as less-desirable targets if the momentary truce does not hold.

It was then that Caly noticed at the very far edge of the wizard group the one named Brie was still watching with avid interest. But now she spoke quietly to a newcomer that had recently joined in the last five minutes. It had to be Neville Longbottom, from the confused expression to the certain presence he had to Caly's magical senses. She _had_ touched the edge of his thoughts earlier and would recognize him anywhere. She also recognized some of the other witches and wizards from descriptions in the books, and family resemblances to Neville and the matriarch went noticed, but Caly had no idea how this Brie was connected to anyone. She wasn't any of the named or hinted at characters in the books, nor was the mage going to pry telepathically, even if she was curious. Unfortunately her curiosity was going to go unappeased for the time being.

Then another thought occurred to her, making her turn her gaze to her partner, _"Not that I'm itching for a fight, but I'm slightly worried about one of the questions we just answered."_

"_Which one?"_ Faren glanced at her, an eyebrow raising.

"_When they asked _what_ we were. It might pose some problems if they truly believed us. We know there aren't any kind of truth spells invoked. But I don't think it's settled in their minds that the word "demon" was used for three of our number."_ Caly said, concern in her mindvoice.

A frown now furrowed between hr brows as she considered that thought. She glanced around at the group, having to turn her body side to side a little to be able to get a look at all eight. Then she glanced at Caly and said, _"Maybe it'll be later when it firmly settles in their mind. Or maybe they're just ignoring that tiny fact. But even then there couldn't be that much they could do to the three, that the three couldn't handle themselves. Even Inuyasha being a half demon would most likely be able to hold his own…or at least he should…"_ Faren said finally. Uncertainty laced through her words, but she believed what she said at least. Caly blinked and then slightly bowed her head in agreement.

"Your next question was if we were going to become engaged in battle, correct?" Faren then asked aloud, her gaze going to McGonagall, who looked at them and nodded just once.

"Well, we weren't; we carry no weapons, but that of our natural abilities." Faren held her arms away from her body as if to prove she carried no hardware of any kind. Caly did the same and even turned around in place before lowering her arms to her sides again.

Looks were directed to the others, some of the ten shifting uncomfortably.

"We're soldiers." Duo said simply and bluntly. The look in his eyes was form and would brook no argument on this fact; a little different attitude than he had shown so far, making a few of the others reconsider their thoughts on him. He wasn't just a laid-back goofball anymore; there were hidden sides to him others would bear in mind when dealing with him.

"We are but defending out homeland and peoples in a long war. There are a great many dangers and battles involved—we must always be prepared." Gandalf spoke softly, but firmly and clear enough for all to hear. Some of the people were a little surprised at the length of his answer, this being the longest one so far.

Kagome was next within the group and she was a little hesitant about answering. But at a slight prod from Inuyasha she glanced at him and said, "We travel all over the Feudal Era and encounter numerous demons. Of course we expect fights often." The last bit was spoken with a little arrogance she belatedly discovered was rubbing off from Inuyasha.

The redhead was last and as usual answered for his partner as well, "We help maintain the peace and balance between the Spirit World, Makai and the Human World. Our weapons are used mostly as an extension of our powers." He waved slightly at the sword on Hiei's back. Hiei gave him a small glare, but otherwise added nothing to the answer given.

"Makai?" someone asked in total confusion.

"Demon World." Kurama replied patiently.

Silence followed that before Moody asked another question, "Why are you here?"

Caly and Faren both blinked, speechless and looked at each other. Shrugging they exchanged looks with the rest of their group. None of them had an answer and all of them assumed the mages could handle the questions that weren't directed at individuals. Finally the two looked at the wizard who had asked and Caly answered with a shrug, "We don't know."

Despite it being a poor answer, they could offer nothing more for an answer. They didn't have a clue why there were there, just that they were.

"_How_ did you get here?" Moody inquired.

Again Caly exchanged glances with Faren before answering, "We're not entirely sure, but we think it has something to do with an ancient spell set into one of the cavern walls. It has very recently been activated."

"And when did you arrive here? In this world?" McGonagall took over the questions, giving Moody a certain look. He stared straight at her before taking a single step backwards. It was as if he were backing off the questions, though for how long, McGonagall didn't know.

"Early evening?" Caly looked at Faren as she said it, her partner giving a nod. "But it was a little hard to tell being in the cavern," she added.

McGonagall nodded her head, understanding the difficulty in being to judge time when shut inside a place where light normally didn't penetrate. Then she curiously asked, "Then how were you able to escape the cavern? Neville Longbottom told us that it had caved in." a slight frown marred her face as she considered the thought.

"I used the roots of many plants to weave through and brace apart what was blocking the way out." Caly said, omitting Kurama's play in it. She and Faren agreed that for the moment to downplay on a lot of the powers among the group that all knew of. If any of them had to be targeted for power plays let it be them. They wanted everyone else to be safe; they could handle themselves in magic battles, being Mages and all.

Gandalf had to hide some of the new expressions that threatened to show on his face. He knew exactly what the two young women were doing and he didn't completely understand why. But he was impressed.

Caly even created a couple of small magelights, sending them to the cave to illuminate the entrance better; proving her words. The one who had asked the question nodded thoughtfully, their arms now crossed over their chest as he considered this.

"Any more questions for us Professor McGonagall?" Caly asked, turning back to the main interrogator.

Faren sent a small glare toward her cousin, clearly stating that Caly was revealing too much.

McGonagall was now very suspicious, as were several members of her group. She stared at Caly with an eyebrow raised and said, "I beg your pardon? I never informed you that I was a Professor or otherwise. How did you come to discover that?"

_:I hope you have a good explanation for that one."_ Faren muttered darkly into Caly's mind.

With a faint smirk Caly carefully answered, "You hold yourself as if on a daily basis deal with minors. Some of the others here also revere to you as if you normally take some kind of authority over them." She held a hand out towards the ones standing behind as she continued on, "I also occasionally use Professor as a title of respect. It is hard to gain my respect in these kinds of situations, but you have. All the questions have been logical and purposeful—they haven't been stupid."

The witch stared at her as she considered her words, studying all aspects of the mage trying to determine if she should believe her or not. Finally after several long moments of silence she nodded and said, "Yes I _am_ a teacher, and yes, there are a few more questions." She paused a moment before then asking what time of day they were taken from their own respected "homes".

"Late afternoon." Faren responded promptly.

"Morning." Was Kagome's response as was Kurama's.

Gandalf looked at Legolas, who met his gaze, a little curious and expectant expression in his eyes. It was the elf who replied, his voice soft yet firm, "Midday to late afternoon."

That left Duo, who scratched his head in thought and then said, "Lunchtime, so midday thereabouts." A nod from Heero confirmed it.

"So what had you been doing at the time?"

"Gardening," Kurama responded promptly and then cast an amused glanced at Hiei saying, "_He_ was sleeping in a tree."

"Meditating." Hiei retorted sharply.

"If you say so Hiei, but I recall you sleeping." Kurama's smirk lingered on his lips. Hiei just gave his redheaded partner a glare.

With laughter in her voice and her eyes dancing in amusement Caly said, "We were on our way to Faren's house since our work shifts ended at the same time."

"I was about to reunite with some of my companions; we had gotten temporarily separated during our current quest." Gandalf said and then looked to his companion.

Legolas glanced at the elderly white wizard and said, "Two companions and I were tracking two lost companions through a dark, haunted forest."

Again Duo was the last to answer and did with a very slight whine in his voice, "We were getting ready to eat lunch. I had made grilled chicken with rice and a salad topped with my favorite dressing, which by the way is Italian. I had just sat down with my food when we were suddenly in a dark cave…And I'm _still_ hungry."

That was also when several others of the group realized that they too were suffering hunger pains. But only Caly and Kagome spoke aloud, "Me too." Both held a hand to their stomachs as if to greatly empathize their point.

McGonagall looked slightly surprised at this development, blinking repeatedly as she glanced from newcomer to newcomer. "Well I guess this will conclude our questions for now. And since you _are_ partly our responsibility now, I can arrange for your meals until otherwise."

A few in the group looked hopeful, though others were not entirely pleased that a promise was technically made for the interrogation to continue. Some knew that given time the questions would increase in numbers and become more intricate. Those kinds they were not looking forward to, especially the mages, who had more to lose.

Already the British group slowly and very reluctantly began to retreat, a couple of them lingering to direct suspicious looks directed at the strangers. With a flick of her wand McGonagall conjured a big enough table to hold a large platter of sandwiches, cups and two pitchers of drink.

"They will refill on their own so this will keep you satisfied till morning. I suggest you do not leave this immediate area," she said sternly. Another flick of her wand and some semi-subtle spells were set around the perimeter of the area. "And those will inform us if you wander off." A certain look in her eyes told them that the consequences wouldn't be very pleasant if they decided to be adventurous.

They nodded silently. The witch slowly turned to follow her companions, though she too was very reluctant to leave the strangers virtually on their own. She almost wished she could leave someone behind as a spy, but knew that wouldn't work. The two young women had proved to be powerful in their own rights, though whether they prove to be _too_ powerful to remain here would have to be determined within the next 24 hours. The Ministry would arrive early the next morning and their questions, depending on how well thought out, should reveal more.

When the British group was gone out of sight (the darkening sky helping) Faren and Caly joined powers and created a shield just inside the spell McGonagall had set up. When they finished a light purple dome surrounded the large area around them and they turned to face the group. A few eyebrows were raised at them, but only Duo was the one who asked, "So what did you just do?"

Caly blinked, a slight mischievous smile gracing her lips, though Faren chose to answer, "We set up out own shield for _our_ protection, all of ours. That way if they decide to do something against us while our guard is down, they will meet the mage-wrought barrier. If they _do_ try something we'll know and be ready." Caly nodded her agreement, though the light in her eyes had dimmed little.

"Better safe than sorry," Duo stated simply.

"Exactly." Faren said with a small smile. Duo smiled back at her and then noticed Caly moving towards the food, deciding to join her. But it wasn't the actual food Caly went to. It was the pitchers. He made his way towards the plates all the while watching her as she peered inside muttering something under her breath. He couldn't catch what she said, but noted the frown that now crossed her face.

"Something wrong with it?" Faren asked, too joining them. The others followed to circle around the small table.

"What is it anyway?" Duo asked curiously. He wanted to taste and see what was in the pitchers but with the rest of the group there his way was momentarily blocked.

"Pumpkin juice. And I don't knew about y'all, but I'm not feeling that adventurous tonight." Caly replied simply.

"Then what are…?" Kagome couldn't seem to find the words she wanted to say.

Faren gave Caly a look that roughly said the same thing Kagome wanted to.

"Changing it would be simple enough," she glanced up to the others, for the first time realizing they had all joined her and more less already starting on the sandwiches. She blinked a couple of times, seeing that only a couple of the nine were even paying attention to her (Faren and Duo mainly).

"Just please, make it something normal. I've had my fill of weirdness to last me a good long while." Duo half groaned, half pleaded.

Caly giggled just as some of the others smirked. "I think I can manage that Duo, but if you think what's happened so far is weird, you're in for an eye opener." She said mysteriously.

He raised an eyebrow at her and then was distracted by quiet mutterings coming from Heero.

"Great; as if I didn't have to deal with weird everyday already," a very faint smirk of amusement played along his lips as he glanced at his partner.

Duo briefly looked surprised and then a bit indignant over what was actually said. He shot Heero a glare, not quite crossing his arms over his chest (he was already holding a sandwich). In return all he received was Heero's smirk. A sigh escaped Duo as he turned away form his friend and took a large bite of the sandwich.

Caly giggled at the two, her eyes briefly gazing around at the others before lowering once again to the pitchers. Holding her hands over them a small frown of concentration furrowed between her eyebrows.

Moments later her frown broke into a sigh of relief and she looked up with a small smile now dancing on her lips. "It's water now." She said. She slouched her shoulders slightly and slowly reached out for a sandwich. Before she could actually touch one, something soft and spongy nudged her hand. Glancing at it she accepted it and looked at the hand offering the food.

She found a bare forearm that led to short black sleeves that ultimately led to a man's body. Raising her eyes higher she met Duo's gaze.

"You look like you could really use this." He said, "You also look tired." He added, concern in his voice.

She bowed her head slightly, "Yes to both of your statements."

An eyebrow raised at her, his violet eyes alight with curiosity. Faren was also curious, her eyes turning to her partner.

"I'm tired not magically exactly, though that is part of it, but physically, mentally and emotionally I'm exhausted." Caly explained while nibbling on her what Duo had handed her.

"You should get some rest once you have eaten." Gandalf said gently, a small worried expression on his face.

She looked up at him and nodded, "We should probably _all_ rest. It's a sure thing that the interrogation will heat up tomorrow morning." She said as she reached over for another sandwich.

Faren nodded at her words and added, "It won't be just the group that questioned us tonight. The Ministry of Magic will also come…and probably the Minister himself as well."

That caused a moment of exchanged looks and tension to rise. Some of those who _didn't_ see a great deal of magic in day-to-day activities were a bit more uncomfortable than they had been to begin with.

"But we shouldn't worry. We'll be fine." Caly said quickly, noticing everyone's emotional status. "We'll all be able to handle this." She gazed around the group, meeting the eyes of a couple of them. They seemed to believe her for the moment and then all returned to the platter of food and water.

**Notes:** So yeah, anyone figured out anything about any of the various secrets? Any questions? Ask away…and I may just answer them. (grins)


End file.
